In this photo taken on Monday, civil servants of the provincial government perform with Communist flags to celebrate the upcoming 18th National Congress in China. (AP Photo)

(Newser)
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Those planning to let their pet pigeons stretch their wings over Beijing tomorrow will have to reschedule. To limit potential protests or security threats before the opening of the Central Committee meeting, the Chinese government has made some interesting new rules, reports the AP. Among them: Pigeon owners must keep their birds on the ground, taxi windows can't be rolled down, and if you want to buy anything from pingpong balls to balloons to toy planes, you'll need at least an ID, and maybe even explicit permission from the police.

All these items, you see, could potentially be used to distribute incendiary messages. Some citizens say they saw window handles completely torn off in taxi cabs to prevent passengers from tossing leaflets as they rode by important locations. The regulations extend to the Internet, where certain political phrases (like "18th Party Congress") have been banned. China is getting ready to make a once-in-a-decade shift in leadership.

Give the republicans enough time and they will institute draconian measeres like these

homer57

Nov 2, 2012 8:39 AM CDT

It is a funny thing about "CONTROL. everyone wants it but no one wants it! If they are in control, they want it but if they are being controlled, they hate it! The old human nature has to be "CONTROLLED" and so there is either an "Internal" restraint or there is an "External" restraint! Communism is of the External restraint and seeks to be in TOTAL control. Republicianism, as was in the U.S.A years ago seeks ONLY to set an Internal restraint based UPON God's word...the KJV and that NEVER changes. Hebrews 13:8 Now that the bible and God are gone from this nation we shall be under an EXTERNAL, and controlling estate Like Obama and company!! OR Whoever, it is all the same!!

Imhotep

Nov 2, 2012 6:50 AM CDT

China might be heading for a big fall. They can ban all they want, it's not going to save them. There is simmering unrest for millions and millions of Chinese that are still as poor as dirt. They are the farmers and the slave labor in the mines and the factories exploited by the nouveau riche . These are the same people that made up Mao's revolutionary army. The biggest fear the Chinese government has is that those same disenfranchised find another leader to rally behind. Not only that, the middle class don't like being middle class, they want more, more, more. As Mao once said, the Chinese are more capitalistic than Westerners.